Nursing Home Sued for Neglecting Infections, Bedsores

A Virginia nursing home is being sued after ignoring one of their former resident’s growing infection and bedsores. The family of the former patient alleges the nursing home’s neglect of Casey Lamont was so severe that it caused his death after just six months at the long-term care facility. The lawsuit seeks damages related to the medical costs incurred by the nursing home’s alleged negligence and Lamont’s pain and suffering.

Lamont was admitted to the nursing home, Envoy of Williamsburg, in November 2013. According to the medical history provided to the nursing home, Lamont would be susceptible to bedsores and pressures and therefore, the nursing home should take preventative measures, which generally include moving the patient around every few hours. Unfortunately, the nursing home appears to have neglected their responsibility to care for Lamont and within two months he developed “life-threatening bedsores,” according to The Virginia Gazette.

Bedsores, also called pressure ulcers, occur when a person is kept in the same position for an extended period of time. Bedsores are largely preventable and, when they do occur, can be treated. Unfortunately, the nursing home that allowed bedsores to develop on Lamont did not move quickly to fix their mistake. By January 3, 2014, the lawsuit alleges that the bedsores on Lamont’s pelvis and right heel had “grown in size and severity” causing him to be admitted to a local hospital for five days.

Upon discharge, the hospital gave strict instructions to the nursing home on treating the bedsores and preventing infections. Apparently, the nursing home did not follow the doctor’s medical advice. A couple of months later, Lamont’s bed sores were worse and had become infected – one with E. Coli, another with a bacterial infection. Lamont’s health quickly deteriorated and after a brief trip to the hospital, he was sent to hospice care where he died a month later from the infections caused by his bed sores. The enraged and grieving family quickly filed suit against the nursing home for its alleged incompetence and neglect.

Envoy of Williamsburg did not respond to requests for comment by the newspaper.

Please contact our nursing home attorneys to discuss your potential case if you or a loved one developed bedsores.